Three related problems exists with women's purses, and those problems are solved by the present unitary invention. Dress and custom demand that a purse be appropriate for the attire worn by a person. Changing purses requires much time, and is often done hurriedly under a pressure to meet deadlines and appointments. Purses are susceptible to pickpockets because of their carriage on an external readily accessible part of the bearer. For the same reason, purses are readily vulnerable to the quick assaults of purse snatchers. The present invention attacks these problems.
Some attempts have been made to provide a purse which is suitable for many occasions. Most of these attempts focus upon the changing of exterior covers for purses. However, the covers are just that, and appear in use as covers.
A purse has been marketed with removable, washable linen covers. The purse was a small purse with zipper closings on the base purse at the top. The cover did not fasten to the base purse, but the two parts were held together by straps on the cover.
Another purse had a leather purse with an additional flat piece of leather which was reversible and which wrapped around the purse and fastened at the top through brass rods. The opening was at the top. Neither the ends of the purse or the straps were covered by the wrap.
Before filing the application, the applicant caused a search to be made in the Patent Office. The search was conducted in Official U.S. Patent Office Classification of Inventions, and especially in class 150, subclasses 28, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 42, 43, 45, 46 and 47, and in class 63, subclasses 3-11. The following patents were selected as examples of the most pertinent patents which were found. U.S. Pat. No. 2,059,022 describes a cover for a flat purse. There is no bag. The purse is not the cover. Sides of the purse are exposed through the cover. Closure features are not found on the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,479,263 has a cover which fits over a purse which has a closing feature and straps connected to the purse. The cover is not the purse, but is simply a loose cover.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,326,615 a loose cover has a means for joining to an inner purse. The cover is not the purse, but is simply a cover. Ends of the purse are exposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,682 in an example of purses similar to other purses of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,107,347 shows a reversible purse cover, but the cover is not a purse, and does not operate in the same manner as the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,068,507 shows a prominently attached reversible cover for changing purse appearance. There is no liner and purse as in the present invention.
A replaceable flap that snaps on both sides of a purse is found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,453. That flap permits entry from both sides of a purse. There is no separable liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 237,890 describes a purse within a purse, the outer purse having an elastic band.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,563 describes a unique flap arrangement.